Modi misses Jharkhand oath taking due to fog

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh Sunday failed to attend the oath taking ceremony of Jharkhand's new chief minister Raghubar Das due to bad weather.

Thick fog in northern India prevented Modi from flying from New Delhi and Rajnath Singh from Lucknow.

"I would like to congratulate Raghubar Das on taking over as Jharkhand CM and convey my best wishes to him," Modi tweeted.

"Was to travel to Jharkhand to attend the oath taking ceremony but am unable to do so due to weather conditions," he added.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Raghubar Das Sunday took oath as the 10th chief minister of Jharkhand, the first non-tribal to occupy the post.

Modi said the people of Jharkhand had voted for stability. "I congratulate them and pray that Jharkhand scales new heights of progress in the coming years."

Sunday was the season's coldest day in the national capital at 2.6 degrees Celsius. This was accompanied by thick fog that reduced visibility to less than 50 metres at most places.

Rajnath Singh said he won't be able to attend the Ranchi event also due to dense fog, adding he had conveyed his best wishes to Das.